![]() ![]() Even if they are due to a particular systemic autoimmune condition, the symptoms will vary from person to person, vary over time, vary with organ involvement, and they may taper off or flare unexpectedly. Associated conditions include vasculitis which are inflammation of blood vessels and anemia. Symptoms may include: arthritis-type joint pain, fatigue, fever, rashes, cold or allergy-type symptoms, weight loss, and muscular weakness. Although the associated autoimmune disorders are rare, the signs and symptoms they cause are relatively common. Disorders due to systemic autoantibodies can be much more elusive. Disorders caused by organ specific autoantibodies, those that primarily target a single organ, (such as the thyroid in Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis), are often the easiest to diagnose as they frequently present with organ related symptoms. The type of autoimmune disorder or disease that occurs and the amount of destruction done to the body depends on which systems or organs are targeted by the autoantibodies, and how strongly. Diseases įurther information: Systemic autoimmune diseases While the initial event that leads to the production of autoantibodies is still unknown, there is a body of evidence that autoantibodies may have the capacity to maintain their production. Researchers believe that there may also be a hormonal component as many of the autoimmune conditions are much more prevalent in women of childbearing age. ![]() While families may be susceptible to autoimmune conditions, individual family members may have different autoimmune disorders, or may never develop an autoimmune condition. There is generally not a direct genetic link however. It is thought that some autoantibody production is due to a genetic predisposition combined with an environmental trigger, such as a viral illness or a prolonged exposure to certain toxic chemicals. The causes of autoantibody production are varied and not well understood. The role of autoantibodies in normal immune function is also a subject of scientific research. Autoantibodies may also play a nonpathological role for instance they may help the body to destroy cancers and to eliminate waste products. Sometimes, the immune system ceases to recognize one or more of the body's normal constituents as "self", leading to production of pathological autoantibodies. Normally, the immune system is able to recognize and ignore the body's own healthy proteins, cells, and tissues, and to not overreact to non-threatening substances in the environment, such as foods. In either case, the B cell is allowed to proliferate or is killed off through a process called clonal deletion. ![]() Initially, one B cell produces one specific kind of antibody. Many autoimmune diseases (notably lupus erythematosus) are associated with such antibodies.Īntibodies are produced by B cells in two ways: (i) randomly, and (ii) in response to a foreign protein or substance within the body. Antibody directed against an autogenic proteinĪn autoantibody is an antibody (a type of protein) produced by the immune system that is directed against one or more of the individual's own proteins. ![]()
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